SB Energy has commissioned three solar projects in Texas.

These projects will power Google’s data center operations in the state through a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).

The three projects, Orion I, Orion II, and Orion III, form the Orion Solar Belt. They are located in Milam County, Texas, and have a combined capacity of 900MW and individual capacities of 258MW, 302MW, and 315MW, respectively.

The projects will deliver power to Google’s data centers in Ellis County and its Dallas cloud region. The PPA was initially signed in November 2022, with Google agreeing to purchase 75 percent of the capacity from the Orion Solar Belt and the 314MW Eiffel solar project, representing 942MW of contracted power.

Following the commissioning of the Orion belt project, all four solar projects contracted in the PPA are now in operation.

“Google’s data centers house some of the world’s most popular services and are a major economic engine for 21st century business. Our goal is to make sure that the services and products that people and customers use every day are powered by reliable carbon-free energy around the clock,” said Ben Sloss, VP of 24×7 & capacity, Google.

Google launched its Dallas cloud region in June 2022. In August, the company announced plans to invest $1 billion in Texas this year through its data center campuses in Midlothian and Red Oak.

Google has signed several PPAs to support its Texan data center footprint over 2024. These include agreements with Elawan Energy and X-Elio for a combined 165MW solar capacity. In addition, it has signaled its intention to sign PPAs with Engie and Grupo Cobra. Combined, the agreements will provide up to 375MW of energy for its operations across the Lone Star State.

The company has also signed agreements with energy partners to bring more than 2.8GW of new wind and solar projects to the state.